Q&A with Wayne Weaver: Jaguars can 'build a legacy' if fans respond

The Times-Union

Saturday

Jul 30, 2011 at 7:07 PM

Now that the NFL has a new CBA that guarantees the league 10 years of labor peace, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver talked with Vito Stellino and Tania Ganguli of the Times-Union last week about his views of the new deal, what it means for the Jaguars, his take on the future of the team and the importance of selling out the stadium.

So what do you think of the new labor deal?

I'm excited. We have labor peace for the next 10 years. That's an exciting thing for our league. We don't have to go through the anxiety and the uncertainty we went through the past five months. Our fans won't tolerate very much of that.

How do you evaluate the deal?

We didn't get everything they wanted, but the players didn't get everything they wanted so that's kind of a definition of a fair deal.

You've said it is a better deal for Jacksonville than the 2006 deal. Can you explain why?

The player costs have been lowered. They will be substantially less than they would have been under the TR [total revenue] system. We now have an AR [all revenue] system. The salary cap will be less over the next 10 years than it would have been under the old system. But the players get a chance to grow with us. It's a fair system.

How will the salary cap be calculated?

It will be calculated on three buckets. They get 55 percent of the TV revenue, 45 percent of business ventures and 40 percent of the local revenue, including ticket sales. They get the lowest percentage on local revenue, which means if we fill our stadium, we get to keep more of it. It's an incentive for all 32 clubs to work hard to build their local revenue. That's what I like about it.

So money will not be a factor in whether Jaguars win or lose?

It won't be any different than before. We've never been cheap on spending. We've been in the middle of the league on how we've spent to the cap.

You mentioned filling the stadium. Do you expect to do that this year?

We've got a big chore to do. We've got 17,000 season tickets or tickets to sell. We know we're not going to sell 17,000 season tickets. We do believe that we should be able to have nine or 10 thousand season tickets and the rest we'll fill in with single game or group sales. We believe we'll get there, but it's a chore.

Did sales pick up as soon as got the new CBA?

They've picked up, but not to the level that we need them. We hope now the players are getting in, it'll create more energy and people will come in and get the urgency to come in and buy their tickets.

How important is it to fill the stadium?

At the end of the day, the only way we can sustain ourselves as an NFL market is filling up our stadium on Sunday afternoons just like they do in Pittsburgh and Green Bay and some other small markets. Having said all that, I realize it's a tough economy out there, but we can fill up this stadium. We did it in 2010. We can't take a step back. We're doing everything we can. We've got some of the lowest ticket prices in the NFL. We're out in the community. At some point, the community has to understand the only way we can survive as an NFL market is to fill up our stadium.

Do you think the fans have gotten the message?

This market has to understand. I've been honest and clear that we have to step up and fill this stadium or we're going to continue seeing the national press writing that Jacksonville can't support the NFL. It brings a lot of pressure all around. We can't sustain an NFL team in this marketplace if we don't fill up our stadium. That's bottom line.

Do you have to win to attract fans in Jacksonville?

Clearly, I think winning is our mission. But my goal for this market is bigger than that. My goal is to build a long-time legacy and be a great NFL franchise and have the same kind of tradition Green Bay and Pittsburgh have. We can do that. The difference is that they're 75 years into the process and we're going into our 17th season. At some point, I promise you 20 years out, we will have that great tradition that the other markets have.

You've still only won one playoff game in the last decide. You must expect to do better in the next decade?

I'll be a very unhappy guy if I can't win more playoff games in the next decade. I don't have too many more decades.

You've talked in the past about having an exit strategy. But you've got 10 years of labor peace and you seem to enjoy being an owner. Are you sure you won't change your mind?

I do have to have an exit strategy at some point. I can't tell you when that will be. I'm healthy and I have some great years ahead of me, but I have to be realistic. The exit strategy will be predicated on finding someone who shares the values of Jacksonville that I have. I want to build our team legacy in this market. When I find the right person, that will probably have as much to do with my selling.

I'm proud of what we've accomplished here. I'm disappointed our record hasn't been better, but I think it's recognized by our TV schedule this year that we're an ascending team with two Monday night games and a Thursday night game.

Why do you think Jacksonville tends to get rapped in the national press?

We give the national press too many reasons to pick on the market. Clearly, the NFL wants to be in Los Angeles and we need to be in Los Angeles. So the national press looks around and if we're constantly struggling to sell out, we become an easy target.

You said at the end of last year that Jack Del Rio has to make the playoffs to keep his job. Is that still your stance?

Probably my choice of words wasn't the best. No matter what I said, sometimes the emotions get the best of you.

What I'm saying is I have expectations of being in the playoffs this year, but there are other factors that go into it [deciding whether to keep the coach]. Like whether you have a lot of injuries. Hopefully, we're building the kind of depth so we can overcome those kinds of things.

I have to say right now I am pleased with what Jack and the group are doing. We're on our way to playing elite football here in Jacksonville. I believe that.

What do you think of the assistants being unhappy about being on one-year contracts?

You heard that from them. They weren't happy. I thought I made the right decision. I thought it was fair.

What is the problem with getting Marcedes Lewis signed?

I'm not sure there is a problem. Hopefully, we'll get a long-term contract. He's a key part of our football team and our whole philosophy is to reward our own.

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